WASHINGTON “The jamming of
news delivered by satellite into Iran is an outrage, a deplorable violation of well-established
international agreements. Freedom of information is a universal human right as well
as an essential component for the health of any nation.” That’s Richard Lobo, director of the International
Broadcasting Bureau of the Broadcast Board of Governors.

The practice of deliberate
interference with broadcast signals, or “jamming,” is prohibited under the rules of the International Telecommunications Union. This recent interference
by Iran began on Oct. 3, and affected both video and audio signals of the Voice
of America’s Persian Service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda,
according to the BBG.

The jamming coincided with reports of street demonstrations and mass arrests of
Iranians protesting falling currency exchange rates. Both the Voice of America and
RFE/RL have reported that, in some instances, interference starts just before newscasts
and ends just afterwards.

The jamming affected three satellite transponders operated by Eutelsat and those
most popular among Iranian viewers: HotBird 13B, Eutelsat 25A and Eutelsat 7A. Viewers
said the signals reappear intermittently, and that less-popular satellites are not
impacted.

The interference has affected other U.S. international broadcasting programs on
the Eutelsat satellites, including Georgian, Armenian and Balkan-language broadcasts.
Eutelsat has issued its own condemnation of the jamming and called on
international regulatory authorities to stop it. The BBG made a similar call for action against jamming in January this year. ~ Radio World

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The FAA’s current rules and proposed ban on flight over people, requirement of visual line of sight and restriction on nighttime flying, effectively prohibit broadcasters from using UAS for newsgathering. ~ WMUR-TV General Manager Jeff Bartlett